


he promised.

by lilaliacs



Category: All For the Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Getting Back Together, M/M, jeremy's whole family consists of the reoccuring OCS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 21:18:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7331020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilaliacs/pseuds/lilaliacs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Jeremy misses him.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	he promised.

They broke up. They broke up and Jeremy thinks he can manage, he thinks shutting Jean out would be the best for him, for both of them.

But then, over summer break, it gets bad.

Jean is staying with Renee. He’s at the other end of the country, timezones and distance between them and - Jeremy isn’t supposed to care. Jean isn’t his to care about anymore.

Maggie asks for Jean. She misses him. Millie misses him. They all miss him.

{Jeremy misses him.}

But isn’t it for the better this way? He’s sure Jean is better this way. He’s doing this for Jean.

“I scared him Millie. I don't know what it was I did wrong but I scared him and- I can’t be that person for him. I can’t do this to him.” 

{“Why are you doing this to me?” ,still echoing in his head}

“And you think just cutting him off is the solution?” Millie asks. She’s furious. She knows how important Jean is to Jeremy, she knows how important Jeremy is to Jean.

“You need him Jer! …He needs you.”

“He’s fine without me. That’s all I care about.”

“Well, maybe you should be a bit more selfish once in a while.”

Millie is 14. What does she know? Jeremy tries to tell himself that as he goes to sleep.

{“You need him” “He needs you”}

Martha sets the table for 9. Jeremy silently puts one plate back into the cupboard. Justin sends him a concerned look.

It’s been two weeks since he came home alone.

Jacob walks by Jeans room -no, the guest room- to see that the door is open. He glances inside and sees his older brother sitting on the floor going through an old scrapbook.

{“Pictures won’t bring him back”, he wants to say. “Words will.” He doesn’t say it}

Three weeks in, Maggie is waddling through the house, she’s pulling at the hem of Jeremy’s shirt, happily counting “un, deux, trois,…” She still remembers.

Jeremy wished the numbers wouldn’t be pangs of guilt in his chest.

{She knows a few other words. “Rouge” she says, pointing at Justin’s shirt. “Jolie” she says, looking at Maya’s new hairdo. “Je t'aime!” she says, smiling up at Jeremy,because that was what Jean did when he taught her that sentence.}

Four weeks in and Maya will have to go back to work tomorrow. She feels bad for leaving and Jeremy feels bad that she’s concerned about him. He smiles, he laughs, anything to make it easier for her. She doesn’t believe him.

At night she comes into his room and they spread pillows and blankets over the ground like they did when they were children. She wants him to know that she’s here for him if he wants to talk.

{“It doesn’t feel like home without him” ,he whispers at 4 am when he thinks Maya might be too sleepy to hear. “I know” ,she murmurs back and wraps her brother in a comforting hug. She wishes she could do more.}

Five weeks in and Joel snaps. He hates to see Jeremy so sad, he hates the fake smile on his brothers face, he hates it all and he snaps.

“YOU’LL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF JUST SITTING AROUND BATHING IN YOUR MISERY” ,he shouts.  
“HE WON’T COME BACK IF YOU PUSH YOURSELF AWAY FROM HIM.”

Martha interrupts him.Its enough, she quietly says. Go to your room Joel.

{He just wants his brother to be happy again. Jeremy has always been strong for him but Joel doesn’t know how to be strong for Jeremy.}

That week Justin sits down in the treehouse with Jeremy. Jeremy shows his father all the constellations he remembers.   
“Jean told me all of that.” ,he quietly adds. He feels Justin will know what to say.

After a moment of silence Justin points up at the brightest star.

“A sailor always knows where he has to go when he can see the night-sky.”

And he gets up to leave.

{Jeremy wished Justin had told him more about those sailors. What did they do if they knew where to go but not how to start the journey? How do you reach your goal if you are scared of the dark waters that separate you from it?}

{He takes the leap.}

Six weeks in and the Knox’s haven’t heard anything from Jeremy after they found the note that said he was going on a road trip. They don’t want to be worried, they know he’ll be fine. This breakfast is quieter than it should be.

The front door is locked open and a moment later Millie nearly knocks over her chair while she jumps up to greet her brother.

Someone walks up behind him.

Justin smiles and gets up to set two more plates on the table.

Maggie let’s out a cheery greeting.

“Salut!” ,she giggles.

“Salut” ,Jean answers with a small smile.

He raises a careful look to the family he hasn’t seen since he bolted all those months ago and nothing has changed.   
All that looks back at him out of their smiling faces is love.

Jeremy releases a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding when he sees Jean smile.

They sit down at the breakfast table and Jeremy grabs his hand.

{ He won’t let go again, He promised.}

Martha smiles, relieved, warmly.

“Welcome home.” ,she says.

Jean tightens his fingers around Jeremy’s. 

 

{He won’t leave again, he promised.}


End file.
